Drum – 22 August 2019

(Jacob Rumans) #1
72 |^22 AUGUST^2019 http://www.drum.co.za

BIG BOOTS


TO FILL


Without Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn


in the squad the Proteas are going to need


a new game plan BY RICHARD VAN RENSBURG


A


STATE of flux – that’s
probably the best way to
describe South African
cricket right now.
First there was the dis-
aster of the ICC Cricket
World Cup, followed by
the sacking of the coach
and his entire management team. Then
batting maestro Hashim Amla and bowl-
ing sensation Dale Steyn retired – and all
thisshortlybeforetheProteasfaceIndia
inSeptemberandOctober.
InDecemberWorldCupwinnersEng-
landarriveonourshoresfora tour,so
we’regoingtohavetosortourselvesout
soon.Whicheverwayyoulookatit,it’s
safetoassumethenextfewyearswon’t
beplainsailingfortheProteas.

STABILITYANDFRESHBLOOD
AmlaandSteyn,whosaidhe’dstillbe
availableforODIsandT20Is,leavebig
bootstofill,sayscricketanalystand
fast-bowlinglegendFaniedeVilliers.

Without players of their calibre
it will be hard to compete against
countries that have the best players,
systems and managements in place.
But there is hope.
Aiden Markram (24) and Quintonde
Kock (26) could step up to fill thevoid
left by Amla in the batting line-up.
“Markram is fantastic for thefuture,”
De Villiers says. He captainedtheSA
Under-19 team that won thejunior
worldcupin 2014 andis beinggroomed
totakeoverthecaptaincyfromFafdu
Plessisintime.
AliBacher,formerSAcaptainand
cricketadministrator,saysanin-formDe
Kock(who’sbeenNo4 ontheODIrank-
ings)“canwina matchforusonhisown”.
DeVillierssaysODIopeningbatsman
ReezaHendricks(30)is also“anabsolute
gift”,eventhoughhe’sbeenropedinto
thenationalsidefairlylateinhiscareer.
“And[whenit comestobowling]Kag-
isoRabadahasalwayshadthepotential
tobethenextSteyn.He’salreadybeen

HASHIMAMLA(36)
Hashheldtopspot
intheworldrankings
forTestbatsmenand
ODIsatthesame
time– thefirstplayer
afterAustralianRicky
Pontingtomanage
this.“Hissuccessin
somanyfacetsofthe
gamesisunique,”
FaniedeVillierssays.
“ForexampleinODI
cricket,tobethe
fastesttogetto
2 000,3 000,4 000,
5 000,6 000and
7 000runs... This
alsoshowshe’sone
ofa kind.”
Amlawillalsobe
rememberedasone
ofcricket’strue
gentlemen.

124 Tests,


181 ODIs


9 282
Test runs – best
among SA play-
ers after Jacques
Kallis (13 206)

8 113 ODI runs – best among SA
players after AB de Villiers (9 427)
and Jacques Kallis (11 550)

28 centuries in Test and 27 in ODI matches


149
His Test score
against New
Zealand in
April 2006.

1 He reached the top of the world
ODI rankings in November 2010 and
the top spot in Test rankings in
February 2013.

SA captain from 2014-2016


311 His score against England in July
2012 – the only South African to score
a triple century in a Test.

GALLO IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES, SYDNEY SESHIBEDI/GALLO IMAGES

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